Voice-activated vehicle lighting control hub

Abstract

A voice-activated lighting control hub allows a vehicle operator to activate and adjust one or more lighting devices associated with the vehicle through verbal instructions. The voice-activating lighting control hub receives and interprets the verbal instructions, generates a control signal, and wirelessly transmits the control signal to a receiver associated with the lighting device in question. The voice-activated lighting control hub also provides spoken feedback to the vehicle operator through a speaker.

1 . A voice-activated lighting control hub, comprising:
 a voice acquisition unit comprising a microphone;   a speech recognition unit comprising a processor and a computer-readable memory storing instructions for execution by the processor;   a wireless communication unit; and   a power management unit configured to provide power to at least the speech recognition unit in a first low-power sleep mode and in a second operational mode,   wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
 recognize an input; 
 exit the first low-power sleep mode and enter the second operational mode; 
 process, with the speech recognition unit, a spoken order received via the voice acquisition unit; 
   generate a signal responsive to the processed order, the signal corresponding to a command to change a status of a lighting device; and   transmit the signal via the wireless communication unit.   
     
     
         2 . The voice-activated lighting control hub of  claim 1 , further comprising a user interface and a speaker, and wherein the input is received via the user interface, and further wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to cause the speaker to play a prompt in response to the input. 
     
     
         3 . The voice-activated lighting control hub of  claim 2 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to cause the speaker to describe a present status of a lighting device after transmission of the signal via the wireless communication unit. 
     
     
         4 . The voice-activated lighting control hub of  claim 1 , wherein instructions further comprise identifying, based on the spoken order, a selected lighting device from among a plurality of lighting devices that are controllable using the voice-activated lighting control hub, and further wherein the command to change a status of a lighting device is a command to change a status of the selected lighting device. 
     
     
         5 . The voice-activated lighting control hub of  claim 4 , wherein the status corresponds to one of a power state of the lighting device, a color of light generated by the lighting device, a flashing sequence of the lighting device, a position of the lighting device, and an orientation of the lighting device. 
     
     
         6 . The voice-activated lighting control hub of  claim 1 , wherein the voice acquisition unit further comprises an analog-to-digital converter. 
     
     
         7 . The voice-activated lighting control hub of  claim 1 , wherein the power management unit comprises a 12-volt adapter for connection of the voice-activated lighting control hub to a 12-volt power receptacle. 
     
     
         8 . The voice-activated lighting control hub of  claim 2 , wherein the user interface comprises a touch key. 
     
     
         9 . The voice-activated lighting control hub of  claim 2 , wherein the user interface comprises an LED indicator, and further wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:
 provide an indication, via the LED indicator, that the voice-activated lighting control hub is in the second operational mode.   
     
     
         10 . A method of controlling a lighting device of a vehicle using a voice-activated lighting control hub, the method comprising:
 prompting, via a speaker and based on a first signal from a processor, a user to provide a first input;   receiving, via a microphone, the first input from the user;   identifying a lighting device corresponding to the first input;   providing, via the speaker and based on a second signal from the processor, at least one option for the lighting device;   receiving, via the microphone, the option selection;   generating a control signal based on the option selection;   transmitting the control signal via a wireless transceiver; and   receiving, via the wireless transceiver, a confirmation signal in response to the control signal.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the prompting and the providing comprise playing a computer-generated voice via the speaker. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the identifying comprises identifying a selected lighting device from among a plurality of lighting devices controllable using the voice-activated lighting control hub. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the at least one option corresponds to one or more of a power state of the lighting device, a color of light generated by the lighting device, a flashing sequence of the lighting device, a position of the lighting device, and an orientation of the lighting device. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 initiating a countdown timer after receipt of the confirmation signal; and   entering a low-power state if another input is not received via the microphone prior to expiration of the countdown timer.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 receiving an initial input via a user interface; and   exiting a low-power state in response to the initial input.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the user interface comprises a touch key. 
     
     
         17 . A voice-activated control system for a vehicle, comprising:
 a hub comprising:
 a processor; 
 a non-transitory computer-readable memory storing instructions for execution by the processor; 
 a voice acquisition unit comprising a microphone; and 
 a first wireless transceiver; and 
   a receiver comprising:
 a microcontroller; 
 a second wireless transceiver; and 
 a lighting device interface, 
   wherein the instructions for execution by the processor, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
 receive, via the voice acquisition unit, a verbal instruction to adjust a setting of a lighting device connected to the lighting device interface; 
 generate a control signal, based on the verbal instruction, for causing the setting of the lighting device to be adjusted; and 
 cause the first wireless transceiver to transmit the control signal to the second wireless transceiver. 
   
     
     
         18 . The voice-activated control system of  claim 17 , wherein the hub further comprises a speaker, and wherein the instructions for execution by the processor, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to:
 generate a second signal for causing the speaker to play a computer-generated voice that identifies at least one option for the lighting device.   
     
     
         19 . The voice-activated control system of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one option corresponds to one or more of a power state of the lighting device, a color of light generated by the lighting device, a flashing sequence of the lighting device, a position of the lighting device, and an orientation of the lighting device. 
     
     
         20 . The voice-activated control system of  claim 17 , wherein the microcontroller comprises a second processor and a second non-transitory computer-readable memory storing second instructions for execution by the second processor, wherein the second instructions, when executed by the second processor, cause the second processor to:
 receive the control signal via the second wireless transceiver;   send, via the lighting device interface, a command signal based on the control signal; and   transmit a confirmation signal via the second wireless transceiver, wherein the confirmation signal comprises a present status of a lighting device connected to the lighting device interface.